I'm taking my ring to the jeweler's tomorrow to be sized, but I also need to figure out what to do about the metal. This was my fiance's grandmother's ring. It appears to be gold, and the inside says 14K. But the metal that's immediately around the setting is a silvery color. It doesn't have a hard line so I don't think it was intentional.

What do you think caused this? I don't know anything about jewelery. My best guess after googling is that it was plated with something and it has faded everywhere except for around the setting.

_________________"I feel like it's not a real political discussion if I'm not morally opposed to something I don't understand." - ndpittman

or maybe they didn't have the technology to make a secure setting that was all gold? (isn't gold pretty soft? i'd think that was just the way they set gems back then.)

I thought it may have been intentional at first, but the line between gold and silver doesn't really correspond with the design of the ring. It definitely looks like bits rubbed off. Then again, the ring has dust caught in every nook and cranny so I could be missing something or other. I guess I'll just wait to see what the jeweler says.

_________________"I feel like it's not a real political discussion if I'm not morally opposed to something I don't understand." - ndpittman

or maybe they didn't have the technology to make a secure setting that was all gold? (isn't gold pretty soft? i'd think that was just the way they set gems back then.)

They do and have for a while (like, you know, as long as gold and gems have been made into rings and stuff-- gold IS soft, and that's why you hear of people losing stones from their settings and things like that)... But a gold ring (or watch or other jewelry) stamped 14K (or 18K or 24K or whatever) usually means it's gold-filled (or plated), so the core of the ring will be made of some base metal plated with gold in a very very thin layer. The wearing-off of the plating is called "brassing" (because often the base metal on the inside will be brass), as in "This is a 14K gold-filled ring with some brassing around the setting."

The stamp : 10k, 14k, 18k..isn't about plating. It's about the purity of the gold. Most gold is gold + other alloys. the higher the carat, the higher the percentage of gold...but it doesn't mean plating. plating is something else entirely. a gold ring shouldn't show silver. that could mean plating. You could also buy a new gold setting if you have a decent diamond. The place where I got my engagement ring online, JamesAllen.com, for example, sells settings as well as loose diamonds. lots of jewelrs do. You can get a very nice gold setting for a pretty low 3 digit sum. If the diamond is exceptional, it might be worth it.

_________________"...it doesn't matter if you can't play a note, it's how you communicate."Siobhan Fahey

To my knowledge a plated ring wouldn't be stamped. We were taught to be quite careful about our stamps in metalsmithing. Sterling is the same way.Or, if stamped correctly, would indictae being either gold plated or gold filled. A plain 14K should be neither of those.